Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-22

disappointed face when she went out.
Finally those animals of sugar an6
wood, those pink faced, straight bodied
dolls, those tin trumpets and express
wagons, were to Marg'ret as the fair ap
pies hanging over the garden wall were tc
Christiana's sons in the Pilgrims Progress
She gazed and gazed, until at last the
sight and the smell of them were toe
much for her.
The evening before Christmas she went
up to the post office. The last mail was
in, and there was no letter for her. Then
she kept on to the store. 1t was rather
early, and there were not as yet many
customers. Marg'ret began looking about
as usual. She might have been IN the
store ten minutes when she suddenly no
ticed parcel on the corner of counter.
It was nicely tied. IT belonged evidently
either to one of the persons who were
then trading in the store or was to be de-
livered outside later. Mr.. White was not
il; two of his sons and & boy clerk were
waiting upon the customers.
Marg'ret, once attracted by this parcel,
could not take her eyes from it long. She
pored over the other wares with many
sIdelong chances at it. Her thoughts
conferred upon it, and her Imagination.
What could be III it? 70 whom could it
belong?
Marg'ret Poole had always been an
| honest woman. She had never taken a
thing which did not belong to her in her
whole life. She suddenly experienced a
complete moral revulsion. 1t was as if
| her principles, where weights were made
shifty by her long watching and longing,
had suddenly gyrated in wild somer-
sault. While they were reversed, Marg ret
warily glancing around, slipped that par
eel under her arm, opened the door, and
sped home.
| It was better Christmas weather than
it had been a week ago. There was now
a fine level of snow, and the air was clear
and cold. Marg'ret painted as she walked.
| The show creaked under her feet. She
met many people hurrying along in chat
tering groups. She wondered if they
could see the parcel under her shawl. It
was quite a large one.
When she got into her own house, she
fastened to strike light. Then she IN
tied the parcel. There were in it some
pink sugar cats and birds, two tin horses
and little wagon, cheap doll, and some
bright picture books, besides paper of
candy.
"My land!" said Marg'ret. "won't they
bo tickled!''
There was a violent nervous shivering
all over her stout frame. "Why can't
keep still :" said she.
She got out three of the childrens
stockings, filed them and hung them up
beside the chimney. Then she drew a
chair before the stove, and went over to
the bureau to get her Bible: she always
read a chapter before she went to bed.
/ Marg'ret was not a church member; she
never said anything about it, but she had
persistent, reticent sort of religion.
She took up the Bible; then laid it down;
then she took it up again with clutch.
81 don't keer,'' said she, 81 'ain't done
nothin' so terrible out Of the way. What
can't be armed, when anybody's willin' to
work, ought to be took. I'm goin' to
wait till arter Christmas; then I'm jest
goin' up to Mis- Whites some AFTERNOON,
an I'm goin' to say, Mis- -White,' says [,
'the day before Christmas I went into your
husbands store, an see a bundle a-layin'
on the counter, an I took it, an said
nothin' to nobody. I shouldn't ha' done
such thing if you'd give me work, the
way I asked you to, instead of goin' ont
side an buyin' things for your boys, an
robbin' honest folks of the chance to
arm. Now, Mis- White, Til tell you just
what I'm wiilin' to do; you give me some
thin to do, an I'll work out twice the
price of them things I took, au' we'll cell
it even. If you don't, all is, your husband
will hev to lose it, I wonder what shall
say to that"
Marg'ret said all this with her head
thrown back, in tone Of indescribable
defiance. Then she sat down with her
Bible ard read chapter.
The next day she watched the children's
delight over their presents with a sort OF
a grim pleasure.
She charged them to say nothing about
them, although there was little need of if.
Marg'ret had few visitors. and the chill
dren were never allowed to run into the
neighbors'.
Two days after Christmas the postmas-
ter stopped at Marg .ret's house: his own
was just beyond.
He handed a letter to her. 'sThis came
Christmas morning." said he 81 thought
I'd bring 1T along on ny way home. |
know you hadn't been in for two or three
days, and thought you were expecting
letter."
"Thank ye," said Marg'ret. She pulled
the letter open, and saw there was some
money in it. She turned very white.
Hope you 'ain't got any bad news %
said the postmaster.
"No, I 'ain't." After be had gone she
sat down and read her letter with her
| knees shaking.
Joseph Snow had at last got a good
situation. He was earning fifty dollars
month. There was twenty dollars in the
letter. He promised TO send her that SUM
regularly every month.
| Give dollars week." gas PED Marg'l ct.
| ''My land! Ar Tve-stoJeE'
She sat there looking at the money in
her lap. 1t was quite late; the children
had been IN bed a long time. Finally she
put away the money, and went herself.
She did not read in her Bible that night.
| She could not go to sleep. It was bit
| terly cold. The cid timbers of the house
cracked. Now and then there was sharp
report like pistol. There was pond
near by, and great crashes came from
that. Marg'ret might have been, from
! the noise, IN the midst of cannonade, to
which her own guilt had exposed her.
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